Why We Honor Our United States Flag and Anthem...

We are almost half-way through this July 4th Independence Day and before I go any further, I wish to share with you this inspirational Video, which I created honoring our Country, Its Flag, its Anthem, and the Men and Women of the United States Military... The Star Spangled Banner, written by Francis Scott Key, has been our National Anthem as long as I can remember... This video presents Master Maestro, John Williams conducting the National Symphony in Washington, D.C. on July 4th, 2014

This is the description I provided for this Tribute in 2017... It expresses my deepest feelings as a citizen and as a USAF Vietnam Era Veteran:

byHark1 (My Channel)
"There has been an outburst of seemingly poor judgement by many people who fail to stand for Our Country's "Pledge of Allegiance" and the playing or singing of Our "National Anthem"... in essence using this kneeling or sitting as an act of protest against America, against the United States of America, its Flag and its Anthem... All seem to have their reasons, but our founding fathers sought to create a Country that was and is based on Freedom... Are there rules? Of course. We Have Our "Declaration of Independence", Our "U.S. Constitution" and we have Our "Bill of Rights". We, also, have a three tiered government based on an "Executive Branch", a "Judicial Branch" and "Law Making Branch", Our Congress. Is it perfect? Nothing is perfect, but it is closer than any other in Our world.

There are those that would annihilate us and those who see "Globalism" as the basis for a world government... There are those that would sacrifice our Freedoms for their own sake alone... We the people choose to Stand for Our Flag, Stand for Our Anthem as a solemn respect for what our Flag and Anthem have represented for over 200 years.

I offer this short tribute to all the people of the United States of America who believe in the rule of law, who respect our Country and will do anything to protect the freedoms we have. In creating this short video, I found John Williams, new rendition, of our Star Spangled Banner to be most uplifting... As a United States Air Force Disabled Veteran, I honor the solemn oath I took when I enlisted and will honor it until my last breath is taken... I stand and salute Our Flag and I stand and salute Our Anthem...

May we always be free, may we always set a positive example for all the world... God Bless the United States of America and Our Flag and the Republic for which it stands..

Kerry F. Harkins
USAF Vietnam Era Veteran
Commander, DAV Chapter#90
Norwood, MA
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